Tim Southee, a right-arm swing bowler, burst upon the international scene in great style when still only 19. Handed his Test debut against England in Napier, Southee responded with 5 for 55 before smashing 77 off 40 balls in the second innings with nine sixes to hint at a bright all-round future. He bettered that performance with 7 for 64 against India in Bangalore in 2012, also the best figures by a New Zealand bowler in India. Allan Donald had stated that Southee had the potential to become the best swing bowler in the world. His ability to generate late outswing at a brisk pace makes him a good attacking bowler in Tests; and his 2011 World Cup performance of 18 wickets at 17.33 suggested that he could be quite a handful in ODIs as well, when not affected by fitness worries.

Southee seemed destined for an international career from his early days. He made his first-class debut for Northern Districts at the age of 18 in late 2006-07 and the next season showed significant promise, claiming 6 for 68 in a particularly impressive effort against Auckland. Named in the squad for the Under-19 World Cup, Southee received a major boost when he was called into the senior set-up for New Zealand's Twenty20 matches against England in early 2008. He was the second highest wicket-taker at the Under-19 World Cup in 2008 and won the Player-of-the-Tournament award for his 17 wickets which led New Zealand to the semi-finals. ESPNcricinfo staff